Disclaimer: I claim no rights over the original characters and story that inspire me to write.
ONCE UPON A TIME FANFICTION Featuring SWANQUEEN in THE ENCHANTED FOREST

This story is a change to the Evil Queen's curse.

Heart of Stone

Once upon a time in a forlorn castle there lived a lonely princess who had been cursed by her own mother in her blinding hunger for power. The King from a neighboring realm had asked for the maiden's hand in marriage after his daughter had been rescued by her, but the brown-eyed girl rejected his proposal and the fortune he offered to her family.

Her mother, Cora, couldn't believe her child's behavior. Princess Regina hadn't given her a chance to speak after furiously throwing the wedding ring to the floor and making her feelings clear to the elderly man. Cora didn't even get a chance to use her magic upon her daughter to force her into submission and render her a puppet expected to perform the main role in her dream play.

The curse Cora cast on the young lady trapped Regina's heart inside a hard shell, allowing no love to enter in the coldness of a numb heart. Without the girl's ability to feel, True Love would never be able to free her from the incantation punishing her. "Love is weakness," her mother kept telling her… "Power is freedom". But even after being cursed, she refused to be wedded with the old king.

Years went by and the princess secretly learned to use magic in her own pursuit of power. A power she needed to get hold of in order to satisfy her hunger for revenge and to feel some kind of emotion, as love was something she could no longer remember. When Leopold and Cora killed the stable boy for being Regina's excuse, they eliminated any possibility of True Love for the maiden.

(Ten years later)

Regina's realm lived under the fear of even mentioning the Queen's name, as she had eyes and ears everywhere and speaking badly about her always called for a tongue or head; according to the level of offense. She had mastered the arts of black magic after years of lessons with no other than the Dark One. The same warlock who helped her get rid of her tyrant mother and rise to the throne in her grandfather's kingdom.

The Evil Queen had gone to war with Leopold's realm five years after starting with her magic lessons. She had built a strong army with the only purpose to conquer his prized lands, as part of her revenge agenda. Regina had gathered the best warriors with the use of her growing powers and the fear she inspired on her helpless subjects.

Regina burst into King Leopold's castle after her troops dominated his. She was aiming for her ultimate strike; beheading the King in the plaza to show his people who owned the throne now. The dark empress made thick wooden doors explode with a simple movement of her hand, clearing the entrance to the palace. There was no knight able to stop her and one by one they dropped lifeless on the ground.

It was when Regina reached to the King's chambers when she heard a woman crying. She opened the doors with a gust from her hand and walked toward the master's bed, where she found Snow White crying over her father's motionless chest.

- "It's too late to come for revenge." The King's daughter murmured.
- "He's dead?" The annoyed woman asked.
- "Yes, his heart failed after knowing we lost the war." Snow answered.
- "Well, I didn't come here for nothing. I shall have my revenge!" The brown-eyed yelled.
- "Hasn't it been enough suffering?" Snow questioned her.
- "Not yet." Regina replied with a vicious smile in her lips.

Regina grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up to her feet. She was about to rip out the princess' heart, as her hand dug deeper into the princess' chest, when special warmth invaded her body bringing back a faint memory of how love felt.

- "What is this… feeling?" The Evil Queen mumbled.
- "You're hurting us, Regina!" Snow cried out.
- "Us?" The brown-eyed asked, eyeing the girl but her bump was so small it was hard to tell how long she was into her pregnancy.
- "Get away from my wife!" David yelled at the dark mistress.

The Prince burst into the chambers wielding his sword and pressed the blade hard against Regina's jugular, making a small cut from where a drop of blood trickled down her neck.

- "You're not going to hurt her or our baby!" He threatened.
- "That's precisely what I have in mind." The brunette said before she vanished in a purple mist.

Six months passed quickly by and Snow was concerned for the safety of her child and the realm. Regina's threats were never empty, even if David kept insisting they were only words and they would be safe with the spell the Blue Fairy gave them in case Regina dared to come back to hunt them.

- "The Evil Queen! She's here!" Grumpy screamed as he ran into the room.
- "The baby!" Snow whimpered.
- "She will be safe." The king assured her.

Regina broke into their chambers and, without knowing, walked right into a trap. Snow was holding the newborn in her arms, as David held a scroll in his hands. He started pronouncing the words written in the piece of paper and a pentagram began to glow under the Evil Queen, trapping her inside its magic shield and making her body slowly turn into stone.

- "You are going to regret this!" Regina yelled at them as she struggled trying to escape.
- "No, you are!" David yelled.
- "You gave us no choice." Snow said with tears in her eyes.

The spell continued to work its way and in a matter of seconds the rest of Regina's body had transformed into stone, leaving nothing but a sculpture sitting in the middle of their nursery room. The baby was crying while her parents discussed the next move to take, until deciding they should lock the dark sorceress some place where magic couldn't reach her to break the incantation.

With the Evil Queen gone, the kingdom flourished under Snow White's leadership. Everyone lived in peace and harmony, as war had finally ended and Regina was no longer threatening with taking away their happy endings.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Let me know what you think! Comments and suggestions are welcome. If you like it, please share with other SwanQueen fans!